Smoked Apple-Sage Chicken

I decided that I wanted to try to smoke a chicken. We have a charcoal smoker that we rarely use because it can be a little intimidating. But I thought about how good smoked turkeys are and with Thanksgiving right around the corner, I thought a chicken would be a good practice run. I was talking to my sister about and she mentioned that her and her fiance were venturing into the uncharted waters of smoking as well. My future brother-in-law asked her for a smoker a few weeks. She asked why he needed one and he said that a smoker was like a guy's crock pot. Good point. He got the smoker. The problem with my guy is that he's not the most patient person on the planet. He's patient with me and I know he'll be patient with our child, but food is not really something he likes to wait on. So I told him that I would man the smoker, since it takes a lot of "inside stuff" as he calls it (i.e. preparation). Long story short, here's what I came up with for a smoked chicken. By the way, it was really, truly, unbelievably delicious. So if you have a smoker and a little patience, give it a shot!

Smoked Apple-Sage Chicken

1 whole chicken, giblets removed
2 apples, cut in fourths
2 onions, cut in fourths
7 cloves garlic
1-2 Tbls chopped sage leaves, plus 5-6 whole sage leaves
About 7 cups lukewarm water
1/4 cup kosher salt
1/4 cup raw or brown sugar
EVOO
Salt and pepper

Rinse chicken and place in a gallon size ziploc bag. In a large bowl, mix water with salt and sugar until dissolved. Meanwhile, smash garlic with the side of a knife or your palm. Remove most of the garlic "paper." Some left on will be fine. Add garlic, 1 apple, 1 onion and sage to water. Pour into bag with chicken, zip up bag, and place in a large bowl. Let marinate in refrigerator overnight.

The next day, remove chicken from bag and discard marinade. Place breast side up in a glass or disposable roasting pan. Stuff chicken with remaining apple, onion and fresh sage leaves. Any that won't fit, place around the chicken in the pan. Tuck the wings under and tie the bind the legs. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and drizzle EVOO over the bird. Season with salt and pepper and smoke according to the smoker's directions. (I have a charcoal side box smoker. I used wood chips that I soaked in water for 30 minutes and then drained. It took about 6 hours for my smoker.)

When the chicken is cooked through and registers 180 on a meat thermometer, remove from pan and set on a cutting board. loosely tent some aluminum foil over bird and let rest for at least 15 minutes before cutting into it. Otherwise, all the juices will be lost. Enjoy!

Smoking tips:
*You always want to look for white smoke when smoking meat. Black smoke needs to draft.
*When using wood chips, which I highly recommend, try to choose wood chips with a fruit in the name, like apple or cherry wood.
*Soak wood chips in liquid for 30 minutes before adding them to the heat. You can use water or to add a little extra flavor, try soaking them in beer or apple juice.
*When you see good smoke coming from your smoker, don't open it! All the good flavor will escape if you do.
*The salt water technique above is called brining. Great for smoking or regular grilling. Substitute apples and sage for any other flavors you like.